The present invention relates to a pickup for a high density signal recording which is stored by modulating the structure at the surface of a record carrier, particularly for a video record, the pickup including a mechanical-electrical pressure transducer, a scanning, or guide, element fastened to the transducer, a damping element supporting the pressure transducer, and a preferably tubular support fastened to the damping element to serve as a mount for the pickup.
Pickups for the above-mentioned type are presently being used to scan the signal recordings of color television picture recordings with accompanying sound on so-called video records and to convert them to an electrical signal which can be reproduced by a conventional television receiver. With the principle of pressure scanning employed in this case, the deflections of the scanning surface of the pickup, which is in contact with the surface relief of the record carrier, always remain much smaller than the corresponding compressions of the structural elements of this relief in the direction of force. This is accomplished by giving the deflectable pickup part a very high spring hardness together with a very small mass so that the natural resonant frequency lies above the signal frequency range which extends up to 4 or 5 MHz.
Although, accordingly, the main resonance lies above the useful frequency range, extensive practical testing of such pickups has shown that interference with the oscillating characteristics can nevertheless occur.